News Details

Commission Selects Director of Master Planning

Larry Cottrill Will Lead New Division at Port of Long Beach

September 26, 2007

The Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners has named port planning veteran Larry Cottrill as Director of the newly created Division of Master Planning at the Port of Long Beach.

Cottrill, who has more than 20 years of experience in long-range seaport planning, has been working for six years as the Port’s Manager of Master Planning. The creation of the Master Planning Division is part of the Port’s ongoing administrative reorganization to improve operational efficiencies at the Port. Under the new structure, Master Planning is now part of a three-division Environmental Affairs and Planning Bureau that also includes Environmental Planning and Transportation Planning.

As Director, Cottrill will be responsible for strategic planning, short- and long-range land-use policy, cargo forecasting, economic analysis and the oversight of oil operations in the Harbor District. The Division of Master Planning works closely with other city departments, Coastal Commission staff, local and regional councils of governments and various transportation and maritime business associations.

Cottrill will report to Dr. Robert Kanter, Managing Director of Environmental Affairs and Planning.

Since joining the Port of Long Beach Cottrill has managed several long-range projects, including a major cargo-volume forecast conducted in conjunction with the Port of Los Angeles. Prior to coming to Long Beach, Cottrill was deputy director of planning and research at the Port of Los Angeles. He has also worked as a city planner for Dallas, Oklahoma City and Orange County.

Cottrill is a charter member of the American Planning Association and has taught graduate-level city planning courses at Cal Poly Pomona. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Cal Poly and a master’s degree in urban planning from the University of Washington.